September 8, 2009

RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town"

by BONNI BRODNICK

Gather all ye townsfolk for the Pound Ridge Lions Club/Pound Ridge Recreation Commission Country Fair on Saturday, Sept. 12 from noon to 5 p.m. in the Town Park. This annual event is always a nice way to start the fall season. There will be games galore, inflatable thingamajigs for the kids to jump around on, a climbing wall, and hear those Lions rrrrrrroar as they BBQ hot dogs and hamburgers for the crowd. Did we mention music? A 50/50 raffle? Cool silent auction items — all generously donated by local merchants — include dinners at North Star and Bedford Post, a sculpture by the talented Zol Medvecky, a whole semester of dance classes at Torrie Marie’s School of Dance, a few weekend extravaganzas (how does Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont and the Caribbean grab you?), get-fit sessions, gift certificates at Pound Ridge Framing & Fine Art, and so much more.

Community organizations participating in the country fair include the Pound Ridge Garden Club, Pound Ridge Library Foundation, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Pound Ridge Democrats and Republicans, Liz Larkin and her amazin’ scones, Pound Ridge Lions Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and Neighbor to Neighbor. All proceeds are used for Lions Club charitable purposes in town and beyond. Come one! Come all! (We always find the Country Fair a great reason to lure friends up from the city, too.)

Do you feel left out that your children are starting school to learn new things and you’re not? The Adult Learning Center (TALC) of the Pound Ridge Library is about to unroll it’s fall 2009 session on Sept. 25. They meet on alternate Fridays through Dec. 4th. The subject of the new series is “Dystopian Fiction” and will look at imaginary worlds that warn us of an unpleasant future. Fictional works like “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley and “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro will be read and discussed.

This long-standing educational program was previously led by Betty Straus. The Library is honored to have author/editor Elizabeth Hall, who has been a part of the TALC program for many years, take the lead as the new instructor. Registration is required as class size is limited. To matriculate, contact the library at 764-5085 or visit www.poundridgelibrary.org.

Now that the lull of August is over, Pound Ridge is buzzing with activities and events in all corners and for all age groups. Neighbor to Neighbor extends an invitation to our esteemed seniors for a lobster lunch at Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk on Thursday Sept. 10. Bus leaves from the Town House at 11 a.m. and you’ll be back in town by 2:30 p.m. No charge other than lunch. Call 764-8021 to register.

Don’t put your schedule book away just yet . . . Pound Ridge Senior Citizens have also planned a trip to “Top of the Rock” (The Observation Deck at Rockefeller Plaza) on Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lunch will be at Cucina & Co., a restaurant at this landmark location. Cost is $49, which includes the tour, lunch, and guaranteed good company on the trip to and fro. Register and pay by Sept. 3. Stop by the recreation office at the Town House for a registration form or e-mail PRSeniors@townofpoundridge.com. Still have questions? Call Louise Paolicelli at 764-8201.

Remember the book, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”? There should be a new edition for empty-nesters, “What to Expect When You’re Not Expecting.” I’m not expecting to care about what I cook for dinner every night; if my shirt doesn’t match my skirt (a definite no-no when there’s a fashionable teen girl in the house). I can also stop expecting that someone will pick up the mail at the end of the road (because that special someone under age 20 always forgets anyway); and or that the dishwasher will be emptied. With no kids in the house, it’s all sheets to the wind. At least until October when they return home for fall break from college. Then I’ll get back to expecting.